The Time Machine has two major Themes. The first, that capitalism is
dangerous, and harmful to the workers, is evident from the connection,
made outright by the Time Traveller, between the Morlocks and late 19th
century laborers and the Eloi and the London aristocracy. Though
the aristocrats may be in control at the turn of the 20th century, as long as their power rests on the mistreatment
of other human beings, and on the distancing of the worker from the product
of their labor, that power is uncertain. The upset in the established
hierarchy did not come not from a revolutionary overthrow, but through
gradual changes made over an expanse of time, but the effect is the same,
for in the waning days of humanity, there is no seclusion from the predatory
nature of the former workers.

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This provides the basis for the second, more important theme, which
questions the assumption that most people held at the end of the 19th
century (and continue to hold today) that humankind will continue to progress,
and that improvements in society and culture are a given thing. Though
Wells’s story on some levels might be considered optimistic, in his realistic
portrayal of what might be possible to do with science, it is extremely
pessimistic, offering a warning of the unfettered and unthinking trust
in “progress,” scientific and otherwise.

Minor Themes

On a more cheerful note, a minor theme can be found in what
Wells seems to be saying about human emotion: one of the only
things that will survive throughout time is sympathy and
emotion, as seen in the relationship between Weena and The
Time Traveller. The Time Traveller becomes attached to
Weena because she seems the most human of the Eloi for the
reason that she clearly feels affection for the Time Traveller. In
this way, she demonstrates a kind of sympathy for him and the
position in which he finds himself.

MOOD

The mood is serious, but not entirely dark or pessimistic, and is
often lightened by jokes the Time Traveller makes for his own
benefit as well as his listeners’. The story is enhanced with
realistic detail, balancing the fantastic content of the story, with
the detail of the way it is related.